Safety harness



1964 J. J. M PRANGNELL 3,162,485

SAFETY HARNESS Filed March 27, 1962 INVENTOR JoH/v JAMES M; PM G/VELL United States Patent C 3,162,485 SAFETY HARNESS John .1. M. Pragnell, Tilford, near Farnham, Surrey, England, assignor to irving Air Chute (30., End, Lexington, Ky a corporation of New Zcrir Filed Mar. 27, 1962, Ser. N 182,784 2 Claims. (Cl. 2733) This invention relates to improvements in safety harnesses adaptable for wear by aviators and motorists.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of vehicle safety harness adaptable for wear by individuals riding in motor vehicles having both lap and shoulder strap means to secure the individual in a safe yet comfortable position in the vehicle.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a vehicle safety harness which is relatively simple and durable and while insurin a maximum of protection to the wearer, affords freedom of movement for desirable or necessary movements of the wearer. The ha ness structure affords forward restraint in the region of the lap of the user and the region of the shoulders but permits the wearer to twist the upper part of the body in both directions, such as is desirable for comfort, or in the case of the driver of the vehicle, necessary for instrument control while at the same time firmly restraining the body against forward movement such as may occur due to sudden stoppage.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective diagrammatical representation of the harness including both lap strap and shoulder strap means to restrain the body of the wearer.

FIGURES l l l 1 are views showing the various anchoring rings, fittings or connections which may be used with the straps of the harness of FIGURE 1, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

in the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration are shown several forms of the invention, the letter A may generally designate the harness of FIGURE 1.

The so called strap portions may consist of woven textile nylon webbing although they may be of any approved material, and the same are quite flexible. This harness includes back straps 10 and 11, as shown in FlGURE 1 which are secured to U-bolts or connectors 12 and 13 at their lower ends, either slidably as shown in FlGURE 1 or fixedly as shown in FIGURE 1 the U-bolts 12 and 13 being anchored upon the vehicle frame E which may be a seat, door or chassis, at each side of the seating position of the wearer. The back straps 1t) and 11 extend upwardly for positioning at the back of a wearer and at their upper ends just below the shoulder of the wearer they are secured together at an anchoring point to a rigid ring or fitting 14 which is provided with slots or openings 14 and 14 therein; the upper ends of the straps 10 and 11 being continuous and as shown in FIGURES 1 and 1 being slidably extended through the slot or opening 14*.

Shoulder straps 15 and 16 are provided, attached to the ring or fitting 14, the same consisting preferably of a single strap length which is threaded through the slot 14 of ring 14, as shown in FIGURE 1. Shoulder straps 15 and 16 are extended normally over the shoulder of the wearer as shown in FIGURE 1 and downwardly to provide side breast straps 17 and 13, the anchor points of which will be more fully described hereinafter.

The back straps 1t! and 11 at their lower ends are Too respectively threaded through the frame anchored bolts or members 12 and 13, and then extended upwardly to provide lower side straps 19 and 20, which are parts of the lap strap, the free ends of the straps lit and 21 being provided with afiixed D-rings or fittings 21 and 22.

The side or breast straps 1'7 and 18 at their lower ends are slidably extended through the slots or openings of the fittings 21 and 22, and thence extended to provide additional lap strap portions 23 and 24 which may be detachably secured together by means of a safety buckle 25 of any well known type. Among such types'of safety buckles are those shown in US. pending application Serial No. 845,512, filed October 9, 1959, and in U.S. patents such as 2,983,015, dated May 9, 1961; 2,458,810, dated lanuary 11, 1949 and 2,846,745, dated August 12, 1958. The buckle 25 should be of that type which will permit an end 23 of the lap strap portion 23 to be pulled for the purpose of tensioning the lap strap upon the wearer.

In the arrangement of parts above described it will be noted that the wearer if reaching forwardly with one arm can twist his torso in the sense that the adjacent shoulder will move forwardly and the other shoulder can move rearwardly such movements being accommodated by the ability of the straps 1% and 11, and the straps 1S and 16, to slide through the ring or fitting 14. Any slackness generated by a rearward twisting at one side of the body will automatically be taken up by the forward twisting of the other side of the body with the result that regardless of the position of the wearer Within the limits of permissible movement of his body is prevented from moving forwardly, as a whole.

If desired the safety buckle 25 may be more positively located between the lower ends of the breast straps by stitching straps 18 and 24, as shown in FIGURE 1 at 13 This holds the ring 22 fixed upon said straps. Similarly the ring 21 may be fixed against sliding, to straps 17 and 23.

As shown in FIGURE 1 it may be desirable to secure the lap strap portions 1% and 29 and their complementary shoulder strap portions 11 and 111 to the U-bolts 12 and 13, as by stitching, as shown at 13 in FIGURE 1 of the drawings.

While it has been described that the back straps and shoulder straps are slidable through the fitting ring 14, as shown in FIGURE 1 the shoulder straps 15 and 16 may be stitched together as shown at 15 to fix the position of ring 1 thereto and likewise the back straps 10 and 11 may be stitched together as shown at 115 in FIGURE 1 to fix the position of ring 14.

The harness A will be suitable for wear by anyone, but women will find it particularly desirable because of the wide lateral disposition of breast straps 17 and 1S, and the fact that they anchor to the lap strap arrangement spaced considerably from the quick release and take up buckle 25.

Various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may be made to the forms of invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a safety harness, the combination of a supporting frame, a pair of relatively spaced connectors attached to said frame, back straps attached to said connectors and extending upwardly to a point centrally at the back of a wearer, a fitting attached to said back straps at said point, shoulder straps attached to said fitting and normally extended over the shoulders of a wearer, side breast straps connected to said shoulder straps and adapted to extend downwardly in front of a wearer in spaced relation at the sides and front of the wearer, a pair of lap strap side portions respectively attached to the lower ends of said 9 back straps and to said frame connectors, one at each side of a wearer, a second pair of lap s'tiap's, fittings c'oiinecting the proximate ends of said first mentioned pair of lap straps to said second pair of lap straps, and an adjusting buckle connecting the proximate ends of said second pair of lap straps, said breast straps at their lower ends being connected to' the fittings of said lap straps at each side frontof the wearer, the upper ends of said back straps being continuous aridslidably extended through the back strap fitting, said shoulder straps being continuous and'slidably eixterided through said back strap fitting, and said breast strains at the lower ends thereof being continuotis one with each of the second pair of lap straps mentioned and slidably extending through the lap strap fittings,

2. The safety harness described in claim 1 in which the meters for slidable extension therethrough.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/ 3 3 Lethern 297-3 89 3 42 Manson 297-3 89 12/44 Carlisle 297-389 1/51 Rogers 297389 11/51 VVilSOI1" 297389 6/55 Griswold 2 297-3 89 FOREIGN PATENTS 10/54 Belgium. 2/59 France.

15 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

GEORGE L. BREHM; Examiner. 

1. IN A SAFETY HARNESS, THE COMBINATION OF A SUPPORTING FRAME, A PAIR OF RELATIVELY SPACED CONNECTORS ATTACHED TO SAID FRAME, BACK STRAPS ATTACHED TO SAID CONNECTORS AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY TO A POINT CENTRALLY AT THE BACK OF A WEARER, A FITTING ATTACHED TO SAID BACK STRAPS AT SAID POINT, SHOULDER STRAPS ATTACHED TO SAID FITTING AND NORMALLY EXTENDED OVER THE SHOULDERS OF A WEARER, SIDE BREAST STRAPS CONNECTED TO SAID SHOULDER STRAPS AND ADAPTED TO EXTEND DOWNWARDLY IN FRONT OF A WEARER IN SPACED RELATION AT THE SIDES AND FRONT OF THE WEARER, A PAIR OF LAP STRAP SIDE PORTIONS RESPECTIVELY ATTACHED TO THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID BACK STRAPS AND TO SAID FRAME CONNECTORS, ONE AT EACH SIDE OF A WEARER, A SECOND PAIR OF LAP STRAPS, FITTINGS CONNECTING THE PROXIMATE ENDS OF SAID FIRST MENTIONED PAIR OF LAP STRAPS TO SAID SECOND PAIR OF LAP STRAPS, AND AN ADJUSTING BUCKLE CONNECTING THE PROXIMATE ENDS OF SAID SECOND PAIR OF LAP STRAPS, SAID BREAST STRAPS AT THEIR LOWER ENDS BEING CONNECTED TO THE FITTINGS OF SAID LAP STRAPS AT EACH SIDE FRONT OF THE WEARER, THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID BACK STRAPS BEING CONTINUOUS AND SLIDABLY EXTENDED THROUGH THE BACK STRAP FITTING, SAID SHOULDER STRAPS BEING CONTINUOUS AND SLIDABLY EXTENDED THROUGH SAID BACK STRAP FITTING, AND SAID BREAST STRAPS AT THE LOWER ENDS THEREOF BEING CONTINUOUS ONE WITH EACH OF THE SECOND PAIR OF LAP STRAPS MENTIONED AND SLIDABLY EXTENDING THROUGH THE LAP STRAP FITTINGS. 